This one came as a shock to even the most seasoned of smellers at Simppar in 2024. Asparagus?...Cladode?! 
 
A Sourcing Story
The product is the birthchild of Cédric Alfenore, who lives in Les Landes, a region known for its Asperge des Sables (white asparagus) which is a regionally protected product like Champagne or Parmesan. The Landes region also happens to be where the very lovely raw materials producer Biolandes get their name (now you know).
 
Anyway, Cédric realised that one particular part of this heinously expensive vegetable was just being composted each year, so had the vision to transform it into a perfumery material. Years of meticulous experimentation ensued, involving the extraction of the arial parts using various techniques such as heat, solvents, and other methods, resulting in a truly unique and powerful extract
 
How does it smell?
You could basically be handed a smelling strip to sniff all day and never guess it.  It's dark, with tobacco, cocoa and oakmoss notes. There's something distinctly gourmand, but also very dry woody and structured. Although the absolute doesn't have any green sulfur notes like in the vegetable, you can find a sour valerian and tamarind aspect which plays very nicely in oud compositions. If you like tobacco absolute but want something more masculine cigar-box and less damascone-fruity, this is a must-try.